


Paracosm

by ohahoneyboy



Category: South Park
Genre: Body Horror, Character Study, Coming of Age, Fluff and Angst, Hallucinations, M/M, Mutual Pining, Paranoia, Possession, Psychological Horror, Unrequited Crush, anxiety induced psychosis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:08:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26837212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohahoneyboy/pseuds/ohahoneyboy
Summary: Things take a strange turn on a cabin stay during the last fall break before graduation and Tweek has to learn to trust himself and his own perception of reality.
Relationships: Craig Tucker/Tweek Tweak, Kyle Broflovski/Stan Marsh, Token Black/Clyde Donovan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	Paracosm

**Author's Note:**

> Trying to write something spooky for Halloween, not too sure how it's gonna go but it sure feels good to write again! :)

A clock chimed in the empty cabin.

  
Lonely and resounding, it was the only thing that filled the dimly lit rooms. Tweek shivered as he took in his surroundings, arms crossed tightly over his chest in a weak attempt to keep himself warm. The cabin was shabbier than he had anticipated, and much more dated than the advert Craig had shown him the month prior. The walls were painted beige, faded and chipped to expose the cheap wood paneling underneath. The floor creaked beneath him as he shifted his footing and he noted the way the floorboards seemed to run on forever in a hideous diagonal fashion throughout the entirety of the foyer. Beneath his worn brown boots lay a maroon handstitched rug, threads loosening themselves under fresh specks of snow carried in by the shoes of Tweek and his friends. 

  
To his left everyone had begun to hang their coats and hats, his eyes flitted to Token who was helping Jimmy remove his boots. Beginning to feel like the odd one out, Tweek tugged off his own boots and kicked them carelessly out of the way, already having decided it was far too cold to remove his coat. A soured feeling settled over him as the others wandered off to explore the cabin and he shot a tired look at his boyfriend, wanting to make a snide remark about how much worse the place looked in person but he thought better of it and instead looped his arm around Craig's. 

  
"Well, it's freezing and dingy but it's home for the next two weeks, hm?" He smiled up Craig who returned the expression alongside an apologetic eyebrow raise.  
"Sorry it isn't exactly the way it was advertised but at least we have each other," He snaked an arm around Tweek's waist as he spoke, pulling him in close.  
"Right," Tweek bit his lip, fingers pulling absently at the collar of Craig's coat, "Just you, me...and five other people. Oh, three of which aren't even your friends."   
They swayed slowly together in the chilled foyer, almost like the ghost of a waltz. Tweek noticed small fragments of snowflakes dusting Craig's dark hair, looking like pale stars against the night sky. Craig seemed to be taking Tweek in too, grey eyes drifting slowly over the blond's face before he leaned in to give a chaste peck to the tip of his rounded nose. He held Tweek for a moment longer before he pulled away to remove his outerwear, all dusted in snow like his hair. Tweek once again crossed his arms as the frigid air replaced the warmth Craig had taken with him when he moved away.

  
"So," Tweek started, rubbing the fabric of his fuzzy sock thoughtlessly against the threadbare carpet, "Why exactly did you invite Stan's gang along? I thought you didn't like those guys." 

  
Craig looked up from his place on the bench, his face neutral as he shrugged. "They wanted to come, and offered to pay for themselves. Besides, it's not like we're kids anymore. They aren't as bad as they used to be."

  
Tweek chewed at the skin inside his bottom lip, running a hand through his wispy hair. "I guess you're right, I'm just a little unsure of how to interact with them, really. I mean I haven't hung out with Stan and Kyle since elementary school and Kenny and I never officially met." His eyes flitted to Craig who was watching him with patient concern. 

  
"At least Cartman isn't here." He offered, standing and making his way to Tweek. He came up behind him, arms wrapping around his middle and taking hold of each side of his unzipped jacket. "Why not get more comfortable...we'll start a fire, make something warm to eat and let yourself relax, hm?" He was pulling Tweek's coat off for him, a brief kiss brushing against his newly exposed neck before he moved to hang the article. "Doesn't that sound better than worrying about all that?"

  
Tweek rolled his eyes, rubbing his arms through his sweater, "Worrying is what I do, Craig. If you didn't want a worrier you shouldn't have picked me to date."   
A chuckle escaped Craig as he walked back to Tweek, again pulling him in and lifting one of his hands to get a better look at it. Tweek watched too with a flushed face, noticing how small and frail his own hand looked in Craig's. Craig cradled Tweek's hand the way one would cradle a fresh rose, rubbing his thumb over his small fingers until it caught on a thin silver band. It was lightly discolored from wear, but all of the sentimental value had remained. 

  
"Four years going strong." Craig beamed, lifting Tweek's hand to his face to admire the old promise ring one his skinny digit.

  
Tweek could remember the night Craig had given it to him as though it were last week. They'd gone out to a drive-in theater during the colder months one year, snuggled close to each other in an old truck belonging to Craig's dad as they watched cheesy horror movies. The whole week leading up to the night Craig had been acting more aloof than usual and Tweek had caught him smiling in his direction more times than he could count. Eventually, after a particularly startling scene, Craig had reached into his coat pocket to retrieve a small box. Tweek hadn't noticed at first, dark brown eyes wide and focused on the screen before them as he cursed the main character for his stupidity. 

  
It wasn't until he turned to Craig to discuss how to properly escape a deranged killer that he caught sight of the little black box in his boyfriend's hand. His face had flushed faster than he thought possible and he threw himself into Craig's arms, feeling close to tears as he watched Craig open the box to reveal the ring.   
"Not that I have any doubts about us," He'd begun, his voice taking on a shaky and almost nervous quality Tweek had never heard from him before, "But I want to wait until we graduate to ask you to marry me." Tweek had nodded, brow knitted as Craig took his hand. "So, I thought this would be okay until then."  
He'd looked Tweek dead in the eyes, his face lined with equal parts fear and hope as he slid the silver band onto Tweek's ring finger, "Tweek Tweak, I'm asking you to promise to stay with me for this leg of highschool. To continue putting up with all of my bullshit for another two years until I can afford to ask you to give me the rest of your life." He'd chuckled at himself as he finished speaking, his tongue darting nervously out of his mouth as he awaited Tweek's answer. Tweek had choked out a yes, and then a fucking of course, you're everything to me. 

  
"Yeah?" Tweek said, bringing himself back to the present and admiring the tender look on Craig's face, "It could have been eight years if you hadn't tried to backtrack in the fifth grade." 

  
Craig rolled his eyes playfully, "You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"

  
"You didn't talk to me for a full four months, you ass, and when you finally did you didn't let me touch you for another three - No, I'm not gonna let you live that down!" Tweek said with mock offense, unable to keep the smile out of his voice. 

  
"Mhm," Craig reached up to push thin strands of hair out of Tweek's eyes, "At least I got some sense eventually, and I'm here with you now." Tweek scoffed, but softened as he looked at Craig. The open fondness in his expression melting his heart as they swayed in the foyer, and for a moment Tweek could see the two of them in five years. Holding each other and absentmindedly dancing in slow motion in a house of their own, somewhere far away from the boring everymen that filled up their small hometown.

  
A sudden rapping on the entryway tore their attention from each other, standing before them was Clyde, looking disheveled and vaguely annoyed despite his grin.   
"Oh, sorry to break up whatever's going on here but we need firewood and, like, maybe some lighter fluid." His grin faded and was replaced with shivering as he spoke, looking as cold as Tweek felt. 

  
Craig was already pulling his coat and boots back on when Tweek looked away from Clyde, prompting him to do the same with a jerk of his head. "Right," He looked to Clyde, "You, Stan and Kyle can look around for firewood. Cabins like these usually keep their wood and axes around back or in a nearby shed. Tweek and I are gonna go by that gas station up the road for lighter fluid." Clyde opened his mouth like he had more to say but quickly shut it when given one of Craig's well known steely glares.

  
The inside of the convenience store was the warmest place Tweek had been since they left home that morning. It was washed with yellow light, making it seem cozier than most of the small stop and shop places nearby. The drive to the store had taken nearly thirty minutes and though Tweek wanted to revel in the warmth of the building, he didn't want to leave Craig's friends and not-so-friends shivering in the cabin for any longer than he had to. He'd b-lined straight to the lighter fluid and ignored the look on Craig's face as best he could, a mix of amused surprise and questioning on his angular face as Tweek speedwalked through the confined aisles.

  
He'd just picked up a pair of options, pausing to compare prices, when Craig's hand settled on the small of his back. "Someone's ready to get a fire started." He said lowly, a humored lilt in his voice. 

  
"Right, well, I don't exactly want to be the reason everyone freezes their asses off." He decided on the store brand lighter fluid, five cent cheaper, and returned the other to it's place on the shelf. "I really don't need any of those guys getting angry with me or blaming me for spending over hour shivering. Being ignored and cut off from the group is not what I would consider a fun Fall Break." 

  
"Hey," Craig's voice softened and he placed his hands tenderly on Tweek's shoulders. "No one is going to get mad at you, alright? And if they do, I won't. And I'll be here with you the whole time." He pressed a kiss to Tweek's forehead and though his mind was still racing, Tweek leaned into it. Craig couldn't quell his thoughts but he always knew how to turn the volume down, how to make it more bearable for him. 

  
He looked up at Craig as he pulled away, a small smile on his pale face. "We should probably check out now, though. Even if the guys aren't planning to form a conspiracy against me I still don't want them to freeze." He joked, showing that he was less worried and earning a grin from Craig. Perfectly straight, shining teeth showing themselves as the corners of his mouth upturned. Absently Tweek ran his tongue over his own teeth as the left the aisle, straight enough but small and coffee stained. He paused before joining Craig at the cash register, eyeing whitening charcoal toothpaste and weighing the decision before eventually squeezing his eyes shut and forcing his mind to quiet.

  
Grabbing the toothpaste, he felt oddly triumphant about buying it. He'd never put much thought into his appearance, not like Craig did. The extent of his grooming was brushing his teeth, washing his face and showering. Most days he didn't brush his hair, finding it was a futile task that only served to tease his already wild hair into a pale yellow mane. Dressing himself wasn't ever a thoughtful procedure either, typically he threw one one of his four pairs of jeans and grabbed the nearest undershirt and sweater in his closet. 

  
Craig went about things entirely differently. Keeping everything about himself perfectly groomed and neat, including taking delicate care of his nails; Unlike Tweek, who merely chewed his off before they could get long enough to clean under. Craig's hair and clothes and cologne always had to be just so, prim and neat in a way that made him stand out in their small, run-down middle of nowhere mountain town. It was something that Tweek admired, as small a feat it was, to him it implied Craig had hope. It meant that he was planning on being more than just another face on just another day in South Park. 

  
"Whatcha in the mood for, honey?" Craig asked as he scrolled through the playlists on his phone, aux cord curled around his wrist. 

  
"Pretty much anything if I'm being honest, can you get this for me?" He passed a can of Coke to Craig, a part of the snack he insisted on buying for the drive back despite them not yet dipped into the food back at the cabin. He waited, digging his short nails into the pads of his fingers. 

  
"Mm, cheesy love songs it is." Craig teased, passing the can back before buckling himself up and instructing Tweek to do the same. 

  
"Please, for love of fuck, no cheesy love songs." Tweek said with hands folded in mock pleading.

  
"Too late," Craig's voice was sing-song as he scrolled through his phone, "You said anything." 

  
Soon the radio came alive with the high pitched upbeat keys of Saint Motel. A playful groan escaped Tweek as he sunk into his seat, looking over to see a pleased smile on his boyfriend's face.

  
"Here it comes." Tweek complained, but he was unable to keep himself from laughing as Craig began to sing with too much enthusiasm to sound good or serious.

  
"Oh my love, I know I am a cold cold man, quite slow to pay you compliments or public displayed affections," He glanced over at Tweek, the warmth and open adoration in his eyes making the young man's heart flutter in his chest. "but baby, don't you go over-analyze, no need to theorize - I can put your doubts to rest."

  
With another eyeroll, Tweek placed his soda in the cup holder and began to dance to the music with Craig. Laughing at the two of them before joining in singing, holding an invisible microphone to his mouth as they practically shouted the lyrics of the chorus. Their voices clashed with the singers, off tune and horribly untalented but Tweek couldn't deny the fun of it all as they made their way down the dark winding road away from the convenience store. 

  
By the end of the song, Tweek found himself slouching in his seat with his feet flat against the face of the dash and playing an invisible trumpet, though he wasn't sure if that was even the instrument he was hearing. Out of breath and in a significantly more upbeat mood, he looked up at Craig while he drove. His face wore the ghost of a smile, lost not from a change in his emotion but from needing to focus on the road ahead. For a moment in the dimming light around them, sitting in the cab of a rental van, Tweek felt like he was seeing Craig for the first time.

  
His face structured and angular, dark eyelashes cradling the grey gems of his eyes - far more expressive than they used to be. His nose sloping down toward his mouth where pink lips parted into far more smiles than frowns these days. Craig had always been handsome in Tweek's eyes, shallow as it sounded it was one of the things that first drew him to Craig. He was attractive a different way now, where he was once stoic and serious he was playful and unguarded. 

  
_Happy_ , Tweek thought.

  
He was wondering what had changed in his boyfriend that made him loosen over the years, silently hoping it was him and their love, reaching up to caress his arm when Craig looked over at him. Dark pupils fattened in his silver eyes, a smile pushing his bottom lids up. His mouth was opening and he was saying "I love you." It wasn't the first time Tweek had heard it, far from that, but it never ceased to be a phrase that wracked his nerves. He was sitting up to kiss Craig, half listening to the song on the radio when movement in the road caught his eye. 

  
The sun had just sunk below the horizon, leaving the world around the van swathed in fresh darkness. Tweek had always been nervous about driving at night, the dark was already such an unknown as was trusting the drivers around you - the combination of the two never sat well with him. There was also something about the fauna he noticed during the night, once the months started to get colder the deer tended to be ignited with new frisk. The chill seeping into their hides and pushing them to brave the winding back roads more often. 

  
It was the realization of this concern, this worry, that was staring back at Tweek through the frosty windshield. A small deer, a young doe perhaps, stood with stiffened legs in the middle of the road. Her eyes were wide in what Tweek personified into shock and even terror. She stood unnaturally still as she awaited her doom, the blue-white headlights illuminating her long furry face. Her head moved, locking eyes with Tweek as the heavy movement of labored breathing in her ribs drew his attention to her swollen abdomen. She was pregnant.

  
A wave of pity fell over Tweek, he knew the van was too large and too fast for her to stand a chance and he didn't have the means to change what was about to happen.

  
He was bracing for impact, either from Craig moving the van out of the way or from hitting the poor doe when he witnessed the skin of her stomach splitting open. Fur covered flesh hung loose from her ribs as whatever was inside began to crawl out, clawing feverishly at her body to pull itself into the world. Alongside it slithered dark, slimy tendrils that Tweek thought were her intestines until they began to rise above the creature, aiming at the oncoming van. A shriek escaped his lips when he watched the doe stand on her hind legs, the top half of her body hanging limp as the dark form emerging from her stomach writhed under what was left of her flesh. For a moment, Tweek could see the glint of eyes in the cavity where her lungs used to be, but then the world was whirring around him and the screams of Craig filled his ears. A sickeningly wet crunch sounded next to him and he squeezed his eyes shut, wishing it all away.


End file.
